Road 2 California

It is that time of year again - time to enjoy one of the largest quilt shows in the nation.  And luckily for me it is only about a 45 minute drive from my house.  Yes I am talking about the Road 2 California Quilt Show which is held every year in Ontario, California.

Yesterday I took the drive to Ontario by myself, and what a beautiful day it turned out to be.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the drive was uneventful (which if you drive California freeways is a feat unto itself).  I found parking quite easily, but at a cost of $9.00 (ouch).  It was all very well organized - parking and ticket buying.  The cost of admission is $15.00 but that is for an unlimited access wristband so I can go back all 4 days if I want to (oh no...I am tempted to return lol).  Once I got inside, I was blown away by the sheer size of this show.  I have been in years past, but somehow I don't remember it being this huge.  There were vendors and displays everywhere.  And opening day was crowded.  I made the mistake of doing what everyone else does - starting at the far left aisle and meandering my way up and down the aisles in the main pavilion.  Let's just say I know how it feels when a salmon has to swim upstream lol.

Salmon

Next time I will come up with a better game plan, like starting in the middle.  Anyway, I digress.....there were so many beautiful quilts to see.  It just amazes me how much talent was at the show.  I saw things I have never seen before and loved everyone's creativity.  As for the vendors, there were a lot of good stalls.  Some of my favorites being Cotton & Chocolate Quilt Company from Thousand Oaks, Quilter's Coop from Temecula and My Red Door Designs, an online store and quilt show vendor.  Unfortunately, I never did find one of my all time favorite vendors - African Folklore Embroidery.  I met Leora (the owner) a few years back at another quilt show and she has beautiful products.  I was so looking forward to visiting her booth to see what new stuff she had, so that might be another reason to take a drive back down there for another go around lol.  I've completed a few of Leora's kits and they are so much fun to work on.  Please visit her site and check out what she has to offer.

My friend Jeanne and I at the African Folklore Embroidery booth at another show.
I'm holding a teapot I embroidered.

So did I buy anything?  Well of course, you can't go to a quilt show and not buy anything - that is impossible.  I bought some pretty fabrics that spoke to me, a handy dandy tool called a Quilter's Slidelock (amazing), a gorgeous tablerunner kit made with hexagons and some odds and ends like pins, pens and spray starch.

Lovelies I had to have

All in all it was a wonderful day.  If you live in Southern California, this show is definitely worth the drive in any direction.  I am extremely tempted to return within the next couple of days because I feel like I didn't see it all, and there are a couple of items I wish I had purchased that are still calling my name.  I am hoping that my daughter and her friend want to to go see the show and I will return with them.  If I don;t get to go back this weekend, I am going again next year with my game plan all marked out lol.  Have a great weekend everyone.

Jelly Rolls & Owls

Yesterday the jelly roll I ordered for the sashing on my pinwheel quilt  arrived.  Whomever invented these wonderful creations is a genius.  40 strips of precut 2 1/2" strips means I don't have to cut the sashing.  Of course, I am thinking I may not have enough to do a large quilt, so I may have to order another roll.  Oh darn...lol.  I am still waiting for the arrival of the rest of the charm packs to arrive so I can get busy making all the other pinwheel blocks I need.  Hopefully the mailman will be good to me today, and I will find that package in my mailbox.

I also wanted to share with you all the fabric that I have for my next cushion cover.  I just love the sweet little owls and the shades of pinks, greens and browns.  Not quite sure what the style of the pillow will be, but I am sure I will figure something out.  Stay tuned for an update on the completed project in the next day or so.  Have a great day everyone.

new year | 2014

Well I guess I have been slacking in the blogging department.  No-one's fault but my own.  I can blame it on the craziness of the holidays, but the truth is I haven't really been in the mood for creating anything the past few weeks.  But I am back, and have been a little busy sewing my little fingers to the bone the last few days.  I am exciteted to be sewing again, and I love seeing a piece of fabric turn into a beautiful and useable item.  I also like the fact that sewing calms me, and distracts me from the woes of the world.

The first project I started was pinwheel blocks.  I was watching quilting tutorial videos on the Missouri Star Quilt Company's You Tube page, and I saw a great video on how to create a pinwheel block from a charm pack.  It looked easy and fun, and I had the perfect charm pack amongst my stash to try it out - "Scrumptious by Bonnie & Camille for Moda".

Well they weren't kidding at the Missouri Star Quilt Company when they said the blocks would be easy.  I had a blast making them, and couldn't stop making them until I had used up the entire charm pack.  It hit me that I wanted to make a large quilt with these colorful blocks, so I had to go in search of more charm packs.  And find them I did...on sale...score !!!  Now I wait patiently for the mailman to bring me my delivery so I can continue work on this great project.

So I can't sit and twiddle my thumbs while I wait for those charm packs to arrive....so time to break out some owl fabric I have been saving and create a cushion cover.  I didn't follow any pattern, I just kind of winged it.  And I love the results.  It would make a great gift for a baby boy.  I have the fabric in shades of pink and plan to make a girl cushion too.  

 I promise to keep this blog updated on a more regular basis.  I will have some more projects to share with you soon.  If you look at the above cushion picture, you will see a sneak peek of the crib quilt I will be sharing with you all soon :-)  

Happy New Year everyone - have a great 2014 !